


Goblin Curses: A Bub Tale

by steviewho



Series: Bub Tales [2]
Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Fluff, Post-Labyrinth, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 08:06:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10963134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steviewho/pseuds/steviewho
Summary: Of everything I've ever written by Bub Labyrinth stories are my favorite. This morning I woke up with a need for more Bub in my life and wrote this. It would take place between Chapter 1 and 2 of "These are the days of Bub's Life..."I will probably write some more as they come to me.I hope you enjoy this "missing scene" if you will.





	Goblin Curses: A Bub Tale

“Oh! Toby hang on a second! I'm coming!” Sarah shouted up the stairs to the crying child. She ran back into the kitchen and turned the burner off, then ran full speed to the stairs. She was stopped suddenly at the landing by the sight of Jareth holding a now laughing Toby. She froze in terror, it had been a year since the Labyrinth and Jareth visiting but this was the first time he had seen Toby.  
“What are you doing?” she asked the King who was only staring at her. He noticed the panic in her green eyes and sensed maybe he made a mistake by picking the boy up.  
“Young Master Tobias was crying for you, I happened to pop in at that moment and thought I would help.” he handed the boy to her slowly, not wanting to make any sudden moves and scare her.  
“Thank you.” she held the toddler to her and hugged him tightly to her chest. She went down the stairs, went into the kitchen and placed Toby in his highchair. Jareth followed behind slowly, eventually sitting at the table next to Toby.  
Sarah silently went back to the counter and finished getting the boys dinner ready. She needed a moment to collect herself. They had an uneasy truce but she couldn't help the thought that he came back to take Toby from her. She schooled her expression and turned to find the sweetest scene she ever saw.  
Toby was babbling, his hands moving around while he “spoke”. The high and mighty king was leaned close to the boy nodding his head in agreement adding the occasional “indeed” and “of course” very seriously. She giggled and placed the bowl of noodles in front of the kid.  
“Are you telling stories Toby?” she sat down on the opposite side of the highchair from Jareth and leaned on her hand to continue watching the interaction. He spit out several more lines of incoherent gibberish, Sarah assumed it was joke cause he laughed a hard deep belly laugh.  
“That was quite the tale lad. Here you need to eat so you can grow big and strong like me.” Jareth grabbed the fork and attempted to feed the boy. Toby leaned over and patted Jareth’s cheek  
“Maji-babe” he said matter-of-factly before taking a bite of his food.  
“No sir, you're the babe in that song not me.” he smiled at Toby again handing the fork over to the tot. Finally turning his attention to Sarah “What are you smiling at?”  
“Bub said he thought you actually love the children, I didn't believe him. You're very sweet with him.” she smiled at him again. “Tea?” she stood to and went to the whistling kettle.  
“Please” he sat up startled at the loud thwap of the dog door. The large sheep dog ran through the kitchen victoriously with a bone in his mouth.  
Bub followed the dog in and slammed the back door. He stomped to the table, loudly drug a chair out and climbed up. He mumbled goblin curse words under his breath.  
Fully aware of the ongoing battle between the goblin and the dog, Sarah rolled her eyes and grabbed another mug to make Bub a cup as well.  
Toby laughed and clapped his hands at funny words coming out of Bubs mouth.  
“Bub I've asked you not to curse in front of Toby.” she sat his favorite mug in front of him and one in front of the King.  
“Why is his mug so much larger than mine?” Jareth sniffed at the size difference and Sarah shook her head.  
“Don't worry Your Highness, you got more tea than him, that is his favorite mug and his nibs refuses to use anything else.”  
“Why would a pet cat have any concept of what day of the week it is, especially have an opinion on Mondays?” the King asked examining Bub’s mug. She didn't respond and just sat down in the only available chair, that happened to be next to Jareth. They sat in silence for a bit, both a little unsure of what to say. She watched the small goblin sulk and sip his tea.  
“Alright Bub, enough pouting. What happened with Merlin?” she leaned over the table and grabbed his small hand.  
“Horrible beasty. Bub was minding his own business, chewing bones and beasty came in and picked Bub up! He shooks me round like a toy then goes outside and drops Bub in a hole. Lousy beasty.” he grumbled and took a loud long slurp of his tea.  
“Bub, you were chewing on his bone. I told you, if you want him to leave you alone than you need to leave his toys alone. I'll buy you your own bone you can hide in our room, how about that?” Bub mumbled something under his breath that made the King choke on his tea, Sarah gasp loudly and Toby to repeat it loudly.  
“Oh Bub! Stop saying stuff like that around Toby!” she shook her finger in front of his face.  
“What's the big deals? Woman and Man don't know Goblin, theys don't know what he's saying!”  
“I do though!” she stood and grabbed Toby from his chair. “Toby, say goodnight to Jareth and Bub”  
Toby leaned over his sister’s arms and patted Jareth’s cheek again.  
“Ni-ni Maji-babe”  
“Good night my fine fellow” he leaned into the boy's small hand. Toby looked at Bub and repeated the goblin curse and laughed. Sarah huffed and took the toddler upstairs  
“Are you coming back with me?” Jareth knew the answer, but asked anyway. It was a weekly tradition.  
“Nope, Bub is home with Lady, even if she has terrible beasty. Bub hates that avaricious beasty.”  
“That what beasty?” Jareth cocked his head to the side in confusion.  
“Avaricious, it means greedy.” the goblin explained, like his King was an idiot. Jareth laughed loudly, “I'm aware of what the word means, I'm wondering how you know it.” Bub just shrugged a shoulder.  
“Lady real mads at Bub huh?”  
“I think she is. What are you going to do about it?”  
Bub scrunched his face up while he thought. Suddenly excited he exclaimed “I knows, I get her apology stick! She be real happy then! Be back!” he jumped from the chair and out the dog door flap.  
“Where is he going in such a hurry?” Sarah came back into the kitchen and to Jareth’s surprise chose to sit next to him.  
“Something about an apology stick.”  
“Not another one! It's not that I don't appreciate what he's trying to do but Karen thinks I’m a nut case cause I have a drawer full of sticks. She threw them out once and cried and sulked for a week! I finally had to ask Karen to not touch my sticks.” she rested her head atop her folded arms. Jareth awkwardly patted her back. He wasn't sure how to console her.  
“Goblins have strange ideas of what makes good gifts. I ended up adding a rock garden to my personal gardens at the castle, every year for my birthday I get a large pile of rocks from my subject. Luckily now they started taking the ones already in my garden, since they think those are my favorites. Now I just put them back into the garden after the birthday celebrations” he chuckled and she lifted her head and smiled at him, a smile that quickly fell at his next question.  
“Why were you so scared to see me holding Tobias? Did you think I was going to take him?”  
“Yes.” she looked down at her now cold tea, it was easier than looking at the hurt that crossed his face.  
“You won him back. I’ve been coming here a year and have I ever given you any reason to think I would?”  
“You took him once before.” she folded her arms across her chest and stared at him.  
“I did not take him, you wished him away!” he sat back mirroring her posture.  
“I didn't mean it! You knew I didn't!”  
“Meant it or not you said the words! I was just doing my job! Words have power!”  
“You tried to kill me!” she added defensively. She knew she couldn’t argue his logic, she did say the words and he did what she asked.  
“I did not!”  
“You sent the cleaners on me! And that fire gang was going to rip off my head!”  
“You were in no real danger! I watched over you through the entire thing. Closer than I had any other runner ever. You had to think you were in danger to make you fight harder. I am a king! I don't have to justify myself to you!” they both sat scowling at each other when Bub came back in. He looked back and forth between Jareth and Sarah before climbing up onto her lap. He extended his stick out to her.  
“I sorries I taught the Toby monster a bad word. I no curse in front of hims again.” he climbed onto the table to better reach Sarah and gave her a sloppy kiss on her cheek. He leaned to the King, whispered something in his ear and handing him something before jumping down to the floor. He left the room with a dramatic yawn, scratching his belly before heading up the stairs.  
“How did you know he was swearing earlier?” Jareth asked Sarah. Mostly to break the ice after the argument, and also to feed his own curiosity.  
“He’s been teaching me to speak Goblin!” she answered proudly. “For some reason he started with the curse words though.”  
“And I assume in return you are teaching him new words too?”  
“Yes, it's been helpful because I’ve just been teaching him my vocab words for the S.A.T.s. Although he made me teach him all the english cuss words I knew first, and some French ones too.” they laughed together for a moment.  
“What did he say before he went upstairs?”  
“He gave me a stick and told me I needed to give it to you if I wanted you to stop being angry. Why does he assume I’m the one at fault?” she only scowled at him. They both stubbornly sat in silence. Seeing as he was the older being he decided he should be the bigger man. Well he uses the term man loosely.  
“I’m not sorry that I took your brother or you ran my Labyrinth. I think deep down you aren’t sorry any of it happened too. I am sorry I raised my voice and argued with you.” he picked up the stick Bub had given him and handed it over to Sarah. She sighed and went to take it, but as soon as she touched it Jareth had turned into the most beautiful pink and orange lily Sarah had ever seen. She grinned at him and took his gift.  
“I’m sorry I argued with you too. You’re right, I wouldn’t change what happened for the world. I understand you were just doing what I asked. I guess I’m just feeling guilty for wishing him away in the first place.” she offered him the stick in her hand in return for the flower. He smiled at her and took her stick.  
“Thank you for my flower, I wish I could keep it forever.”  
“You’re welcome precious. Now I must go and make sure the goblins haven’t burned down my castle.” he stood and leaned over giving her a much more pleasant kiss on the cheek then the one Bub gave her.  
“Ni-ni Maji-babe” she responded mimicking Toby.  
He rolled his eyes but before he disappeared he tapped her flower and it turned into a crystal in her hand. In the middle of the round orb was her a miniature of her flower.  
“Be careful what you say, words have powers. Wishes have more power than anything.” with that he was gone.  
Sarah sat at the table looking at her flower when she heard a loud crash, an even louder goblin curse word and then the pitter-patter of little feet coming down the stairs. Bub rushed through the kitchen but was stopped at the door by Sarah.  
“Where are you going?”  
“Bub needs to get a whole bunch of sticks for Lady.” he ran outside while she rushed up to her room.


End file.
